Shafia, son and wife, found guilty of first degree murders

On Jan. 29, a jury in the Frontenac County Court House in Kingston delivered a guilty verdict in what has been dubbed the "Shafia Family Murders".

Mohammad Shafia, his wife Tooba Mohammad Yahya and their son Hamed have each been convicted of four counts of first degree murder of their three daughters Zainab, Sahar, Geeti and Shafia's first wife, Rona.

The murders occurred in June 2009 when a black Nissan Sentra and its four female occupants was pushed into the Kingston Mills Loch of the Rideau Canal.

Initially, Shafia claimed that the crime was actually the result of a tragic accident, but further investigation revealed that there was foul play involved.

The trial was treated as an "honour killing" by the prosecution. The case has received considerable media attention and raised the question over what Canada can do to protect vulnerable immigrant groups from similar atrocities.

Honour killings are homicides that are often carried out by members of the victim's family. Women and girls are most often the victims. A woman is likely to be the target of an honour killing if they do something that dishonours the family or the community.

The perceived dishonour is normally the result of dressing in an unacceptable or immodest manner, wanting to terminate or prevent an arranged marriage, having sex out of wedlock or homosexuality.

The Shafia case was considered an honour killing because police investigations revealed that Zainab and Sahar had secret boyfriends. Shafia was recorded by police wire taps saying that the girls were "whores" and "filthy rotten children" and asking God to "curse their generation […] and their boyfriends".

Upon deliverance of the guilty verdict, the Superior Court judge said that this crime came from "a sick notion of honour that has absolutely no place in any civilized society".

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that as many as five thousand women and girls are victims of honour killings each year. They are often committed in countries that may condone them.

Though the Shafia Family immigrated to Canada from Afghanistan, Brock University Professor Mathew Hennigar said that it is important not to equate honour killings with any kind of religion or ethnicity.

"The defendants never used religion as a justification or defence for their crime. They just said that they were not guilty of the murders," Hennigar said.

Islamic groups across the nation have denounced the practice of honour killings as un-Islamic to many members of the media; however, Hennigar believes they should not have to.

"Honour killing has nothing to do with Islam," he said. "If a Canadian killed his wife or daughters and happens to be Catholic, would we ask a priest to denounce this act?"

The charge of first degree murder in Canada carries a sentence of at least 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.  Hamed Shafia has filed an appeal on his murder charge to question whether the evidence against him was used fairly.

The Canadian Citizenship Study Guide explicitly states that Canada's openness and generosity does not extend to cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, honour killings, forced marriage or other gender-based violence.

In the wake of the final verdict, Canadian social services and human rights advocates are wondering if more could be done to protect vulnerable groups within immigrant communities.